[kwkarth]

I find the revealing nature of the midrange response is very material sensitive, so that explains why I didn't notice it earlier.

 

[Chinchy]

Awesome, thanks for the closeups kwkarth!

 

[Beagle]

Yes, thanks for the pics. Looks relatively easy to do.

 

[kwkarth]

It is very easy to do, just remember the goal is to completely damp all resonance, however subtle, of the frame of the headphones. The other component which is critical is the shape and density of the earpads and the distance between your ear and the driver of the can. Joe Grado was adamant about the design of the original flats. I pleaded with him to make something more comfortable, and he talked about how critical that particular design choice was and that nothing else would do, if you really wanted the best audio quality. The headband pad and extension of the standoffs minimizes the lateral pressure on your ears without compromizing the sound quality, greatly enhancing the comfort of the phones. The damping greatly improves the midband and midbass clarity and transparency of the can.

Re the flat pads... Since they're no longer available, I've found that reversing the bowls works pretty well as a replacement. Because of the mods to the headband geometry, comfort is not an issue.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally posted by kwkarth Re the flat pads... Since they're no longer available, I've found that reversing the bowls works pretty well as a replacement. Because of the mods to the headband geometry, comfort is not an issue.

That's just basically turning them inside out and putting them back on, am I correct?

BTW, it's strange... Joe is adamant about the flat pads, but John seems to have gone bowl-crazy. This isn't a matter of family quarrel or anything, is it?

 

[kwkarth]

Heh, who knows? John Grado wasn't really around back when I was talking to Joe. He was still the boss and the only influence in his company that I'm aware of back then.

Yes, just turn the bowls around. The distance between your ear and the driver will be ever so slightly greater with the reversed bowls than it is with the original flats, but it's close.

You've probably already played with this, but you can experiment with moving the cans nearer and farther away from your ears while listening to music and see what I mean about how much difference it makes in the sound.

Hmmm I wonder if the original HP-1/2 designs altered the geometry of the driver housing, and in particular the setback of the driver front from the front of the housing compared to the SR series? Hmmm...